Liquid reservoir and bird feeder incorporating the same

ABSTRACT

A nutrient dispensing apparatus for birds having a hanger and two interchangeable dispensers supported by the hanger. Each dispenser includes a bottle for holding liquid or solid nutrients, and at least one basin into which the liquid or solid nutrients, water and bird feed, for example, are made available to the birds. The user can change the configuration of the dispensers as desired to provide just liquid nutrients, just solid nutrients or both. The flow rates for dispensing of the nutrients are different for each nutrient alternative.

This application is a continuation of co-pending U.S. application Ser.No. 13/472,265, filed May 15, 2012, which was a divisional of U.S.application Ser. No. 12/003,151, filed on Dec. 20, 2007, which issued asU.S. Pat. No. 8,201,519 on Jun. 19, 2012, the priority of which ishereby claimed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention is related to the field of animal feeding andwatering devices and, more particularly, to a device for providing foodand water to birds.

2. Description of the Related Art

Bird watching is a highly prevalent past time in both urban and ruralareas. The world is full of birds of numerous varieties in an astoundingarray of colors and designs. Many people enjoy viewing birds of varioustypes, and an industry has evolved around products directed to improvingthe ability of persons to closely observe birds in their naturalenvironment. On one hand, many people venture into the outdoors, wherebinoculars and spotting scopes may be utilized to better view variousbirds in their natural habitats. Such an approach requires a certaindegree of skill, however, in finding and spotting various species ofbirds. Another approach utilizes various means of attracting birds toone's residence or a desired viewing location, such as adjacent a home'sporch or window, where birds may be viewed at one's leisure. Forexample, persons have used bird feeders, birdbaths, and the like toattract birds of various types to their homes.

Providing birds with food is, perhaps, one of the simplest ways ofattracting wild birds, especially in the winter months when food isscare. There are a variety of seed dispensing bird feeders existing onthe market today that are constructed to dispense common foodstuffs suchseeds, grains, suets, and nectars. Certain varieties of birds will beattracted to certain foodstuffs, and thus the selection of a particulartype of foodstuff and related food dispensing bird feeder results in theattraction of a particular variety of bird.

Another simple and perhaps more effective way of attracting birds is tomake water available to them. Birds must drink water to avoiddehydration and, since they do not have salivary glands, birds needwater to digest their food. Birds also need water for bathing, whichhelps keep their feathers functioning for regulating their bodytemperature. Birds feeding at the bird feeder will oftentimes also beattracted to the open water. In addition, open water will attract insecteating birds that do not feed on seed such as bluebirds, robins, andflycatchers to name a few. Accordingly, open water enhances the varietyof birds one is able to attract.

Simply setting out a shallow bowl or dish of water will attract birds.However, perhaps the most common and decorative way of making wateravailable to birds is with a birdbath. Birdbaths are usually placed atop a pedestal and are shallow enough to allow the bird to stand in thewater. Visiting birds will use the birdbath to both consume water andbathe.

There are several drawbacks associated with birdbaths. First, there islittle protection of the water from the elements allowing it toevaporate or freeze depending upon the conditions, making the waterunavailable. Further, most birdbath constructions provide the water as astanding, stagnant, open pool, which invites contaminates, formation ofalgae, and may serve as a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Birds thatvisit the birdbath often deposit fecal matter into the bath, which soilsthe water and makes it unhealthy and unattractive. In addition, manybirdbaths are placed low enough to the ground, or in an unsafe location,such that cats can easily stalk and kill visiting birds.

In addition to the foregoing, space may be limited for hanging birdfeeders as well as providing birdbaths, especially for individualsliving in apartments with limited balcony space. For others, time andmoney may simply limit one's ability to acquire and maintain both birdfeeders and birdbaths resulting in the selection of one over the other.In fact, it is estimated that the 60 million people who feed birds donot provide birds with water. As a result, birds spend a great deal oftime and energy searching for available water sources at locationsdistant from their food source.

Efforts to solve the foregoing problems are set forth in U.S. Pat. Nos.4,441,457 and 6,386,142 which respectively disclose a bird feeder standsupporting both a hummingbird liquid food dispenser and a seeddispenser, and a birding pole that supports both seed dispensers and awater dish or dispenser. Hence, both of these solutions include onlydispensers that are limited to providing either food or water, affordingthe user with no flexibility in deciding which nutrient to provide in agiven case as the dispenser dictates its content. And, since both ofthese solutions are fairly large in area requirement, users havinglimited space are still most likely to offer only a birdseed feeder asthe alternative most commonly considered.

Another similar bird feeding apparatus is shown in FIG. 1 and disclosedin copending application, Ser. No. 11/547,719, which is commonlyassigned to the present assignee. This apparatus 10 discloses twodistinct dispenser types supported by respective arms 16 on a pole 12.The first dispenser 14 is configured to provide solid foods such asseeds, and the second dispenser 18 is configured to provide liquids.However, like the other devices shown in the prior art, the dispensers14, 18 of this device 10 are also tailored to only one nutrient type anddo not afford the user with a choice as to whether to offer a differenttype of nutrient.

Since water is an essential part of a bird's diet, there has long been aneed for providing birds with not only food but also a water source thatis protected from the elements, that is clean, and that makes efficientuse of available space and time to maintain. The present invention isdirected to meeting these needs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly an object of the present invention is to provide a new anduseful apparatus to serve as a water source and/or a food source forbirds.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a single apparatushaving dispensers that can each be easily converted to serve either birdfood or water.

A further object of the present invention is to provide birds with asource of food and/or water that is protected from the elements.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new anduseful source of drinking water for birds that is easy to maintain andmakes efficient use of space.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a sourceof drinking water and/or food for birds that is elevated so as to keepthe bird safe while visiting.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a devicethat meets the liquid and solid nutrient requirements of birds in anintegrated apparatus that is not complex in structure and which can bemanufactured at low cost but yet efficiently dispenses both food andwater.

In view of these and other objects, the present invention is directed toan apparatus having a hanger and two interchangeable dispensers that areadapted to dispense nutrients to birds. The hanger is adapted to supportthe apparatus from a support structure against the force of gravity.Each dispenser includes a reservoir or bottle for holding liquid orsolid nutrients, and at least one basin into which the liquid or solidnutrients, water and bird feed, for example, are made available to thebirds.

According to a first embodiment, each of the dispensers includes areservoir or bottle with two threaded ends and two basins that areattached on either end of the bottle via the threads. One of the basinsis adapted to receive and dispense water and the other basin is adaptedto receive and dispense bird feed. Whichever basin is attached to thebottom of the bottle is the basin that is “in use”, i.e., is the basinthat is dispensing either food or water. The other basin, which, isattached to the top of the bottle, serves as a decorative top cover forattaching the dispenser to the hanger.

The solid nutrients dispensed may be a birdseed, birdseed mix or othertype of seed and/or grain mixture palatable to birds being fed, whilethe liquid nutrient dispensed may be selected from water and a liquidsolution containing sugar, minerals or vitamins. For ease of discussionherein, the terms “food” or “bird feed” or “seed” will be used to referto any solid nutrient while the term “water” will be used to refer toany liquid nutrient.

According to a second embodiment, each dispenser includes a bottle withat least one threaded end, a basin with a threaded attachment well and arotating ring. The bottle is open on one end that is threaded and closedon the other end, and is attached to the attachment well via thethreads. The rotating ring fits around the basin well portion and isprovided with open slots through which food or water is dispensed.Corresponding openings are provided in the basin attachment well. Byrotating the ring clockwise or counter clockwise around the attachmentportion, the open slots in the ring can be positioned so as to be fullyaligned, partially aligned or out of alignment with the openings in thebasin attachment well, thereby controlling the volume of food or waterbeing dispensed from the bottle into the basin.

These together with other objects and advantages which will becomesubsequently apparent reside in the details of construction andoperation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, whereinlike numerals refer to like parts throughout.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a prior art bird feeding device having two dispenserssupported by a pole, the first dispenser suitable for solid food and theother dispenser suitable for liquids.

FIG. 2 illustrates a first preferred embodiment of a nutrient dispensingdevice with a decorative hanger and two offset-mounted dispensers, eachdispenser having a separate water basin and seed basin, in accordancewith the present invention.

FIG. 3 shows an enlarged side view of one of the dispensers of FIG. 2 inaccordance with the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the components of the dispenser of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the water basin in accordance with thefirst embodiment.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of the seed basin in accordance with thefirst embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a side view of one of the dispensers of FIG. 2.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is an end view of one of the dispensers of FIG. 2.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 illustrates a second preferred embodiment of a nutrientdispensing device with a decorative hanger and two offset-mounteddispensers, each dispenser having a single basin for both water andseed, in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 12 shows an enlarged side view of one of the dispensers of FIG. 11.

FIG. 13 is an exploded view of the components of the dispenser of FIG.12.

FIG. 14 is a top perspective view of the basin of the second embodimentwithout the rotating ring.

FIG. 15 is an enlarged top perspective view of the basin and rotatingring in accordance with the second embodiment, shown in a fully closedposition.

FIG. 16 is an enlarged top perspective view of the basin and rotatingring in accordance with the second embodiment, shown in a partially openposition.

FIG. 17 is an enlarged top perspective view of the basin and rotatingring in accordance with the second embodiment, shown in a fully openposition.

FIG. 18 shows an interior view of the collar and ring in accordance withthe second embodiment, the ring being positioned with the cutout in apartially open position.

FIG. 19 shows another interior view as in FIG. 18 but with the ringbeing positioned with the cutout in the fully open position.

FIG. 20 is a side view of one of the dispensers of FIG. 11.

FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of FIG. 20.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In describing the preferred embodiments of the invention illustrated inthe drawings, specific terminology will be resorted to for the sake ofclarity. However, the invention is not intended to be limited to thespecific terms so selected, and it is to be understood that eachspecific term includes all technical equivalents which operate in asimilar manner to accomplish a similar purpose.

According to the first embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 2-10 andgenerally designated by reference numeral 30, a decorative hanger 32 andtwo dispensers 34 are provided. Each of the dispensers 34 includes abottle 36, a water basin 38, a seed basin 40, a top cap 42, a topconnecting element 44, a bottom cap 46, and a bottom fastener 48.

As shown in FIG. 4, both the top end 50 and the bottom end 52 of thebottle 36 are similarly threaded externally, as at 53, with the top end50 being closed and the bottom end 52 being open. The bottle 36 may beof virtually any shape and formed of any suitable material which allowsfeed and/or water to move downwardly toward the bottom end 52, andoptionally may include ornamental features 54.

As shown in FIG. 5, the water basin 38 has a bowl-shaped waterdispensing region 56, an outer edging generally designated by thereference numeral 58, and a threaded attachment collar generallydesignated by reference numeral 60, located centrally within thebowl-shaped water dispensing region 56. The outer surface 62 of thewater dispensing region 56 includes a bolt mounting structure 64 (seethe seed basin in FIG. 4 which has the same structure) for attachment toa bolt 66 that protrudes outwardly from the bolt mounting structure 64.The outer edging 58 of the water basin is preferably provided withopenings 66 which form a rim 68 that can be used by birds as a perch.

The water basin threaded attachment collar 60 includes a generallycylindrical base 70 having threads 72 on an inner surface 74 thereofwhich mate with the threads 53. The cylindrical base is otherwise openor hollow in its center 76. The bottom of the base 70 adjacent the waterdispensing region 56 has one or more water openings 78 therethrough thatcommunicate between the hollow center 76 and the water dispensing region56. The water openings 78 are relatively small in size to control thewater flow. In addition, to assist the user, it is preferable to markthe inner surface 80 of the water dispensing region with a “water”symbol 82 that clearly distinguishes the water basin 38 from the seedbasin 40.

As shown in FIG. 6, the seed basin 40 has a bowl-shaped seed dispensingregion 86 and an internally threaded attachment collar generallydesignated by reference numeral 88 located centrally within thebowl-shaped seed dispensing region 86. Like the water basin, the outeredging 58 of the seed basin 40 is preferably provided with openings 66forming a rim 68 that can be used by birds as a perch. Also like thewater basin, the outer surface 62 of the seed dispensing region 86includes a bolt mounting structure 64 for attachment to a bolt 66 thatprotrudes outwardly from the bolt mounting structure 64 (see FIG. 4).

Like that of the water basin, the seed basin threaded attachment collar88 includes a generally cylindrical base 90 having threads on an innersurface thereof that mate with threads 53 of the bottle 36 and a hollowcenter (not shown). The bottom of the seed basin base 90 adjacent theseed dispensing region 86 is provided with one or more seed openings 92therethrough that communicate between the seed base hollow center andthe seed dispensing region. The seed openings 92 are larger than thewater openings 78 to better allow seeds of varying sizes to flow intothe seed dispensing region. As in the case of the water basin, it ispreferable to mark the inner surface 94 of the seed dispensing regionwith a “seed” symbol 96 that clearly distinguishes the seed basin 40from the water basin 38.

While the water and seed openings are shown to be generally rectangular,other opening shapes such as triangular, round, oval, etc. could also beused effectively. All that is needed is a hole of adequate size to allowwater or the desired food to be dispensed into the relevant basin.

Each of the water and seed basins may be interchangeably attached to thethreads 53 at either the top end 50 or the bottom end 52 of the bottle36 by screwing the appropriate end of the bottle into the threadedattachment collar 60, 88 of the desired basin 38, 40. Whichever basin isattached to the bottom end of the bottle is the basin that is “in use”,i.e., is the basin that dispensing either food or water. The otherbasin, which is attached to the top end of the bottle, serves as adecorative top cover for attaching the dispenser to the hanger.

The top cap 42 (see FIG. 4) is preferably a disc-shaped element having acentrally located aperture 98 for receiving the bolt 66 of either thewater basin 38 or the seed basin 40. Once the bolt 66 has been insertedthrough the aperture 98, the top connecting element 44 is secured to thebolt. According to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 2-4 and 7-10, the topconnecting element 44 is a hook having a threaded base that can bescrewed onto the bolt 66 while locking the top cap 42 between the hook44 and the seed basin 40. The hook is then used to hang the dispenser 34from one of the arms of the hanger 32. As would be understood by personsof ordinary skill in the art, connecting elements of other types orconfigurations could also be used to secure the dispenser to the hangeror to hang the dispenser from the hanger.

The bottom cap 46 is constructed in the same way as the top cap 42,having a centrally located aperture (not shown) for receiving the bolt66 of either the water basin or the seed basin. Once the bolt has beeninserted through the aperture, the bottom fastener 48 is secured to thebolt 66. According to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 2-4, the bottomfastener 48 is a decorative nut or finial that can be screwed onto thebolt while locking the bottom cap 46 against the water basin 38. Thebottom cap 46 and the decorative nut 48 are provided for aestheticreasons in order to cover the projecting bolt 66 that is not being usedto hang the dispenser 34 from the hanger 32.

Side and cross-sectional views of the dispenser as assembled areprovided in FIGS. 7 and 8, respectively; end and cross-sectional viewsof the dispenser are respectively provided in FIGS. 9 and 10.

As shown in FIG. 2, the hanger 32 is preferably able to support at leasttwo dispensers 34 in a side-by-side relationship in which the dispensersmay be at the same or different heights depending upon hanger design.The hanger 32 is preferably ornamental in appearance to increase theattractiveness of the bird feeding device.

The side-by-side relationship of the two dispensers allows both food andwater to be offered in close proximity to one another. This closeproximity is advantageous as birds are known to be slow to utilize newfeeders, including those dispensing water, that are added in an existingfeeding area but at some distance from a feeder that is already in use.By providing both dispensers in close proximity, about 12 inches or lessof separation most typically, the birds will much more quickly adapt tousing both dispensers and, in the case of the present invention, willmake effective use of both the food and the water being offered within ashort time.

Another advantage provided by the present invention is theinterchangeability of offering either water or food from the same bottleand the opportunity this affords to quickly “educate” the birds toaccess both types of nutrients. Specifically, since food may prove tobathe best initial draw, a user of the nutrient dispensing deviceaccording to the present invention may begin by offering food in bothdispensers. Once the birds are regularly obtaining food from bothbottles, one of the bottles can be changed to offer water. Since thebirds are already accustomed to using both bottles, they will naturallyaccess the water without any delay. This benefit is not possible withprior art bird dispensing stations in which the food and waterdispensers are capable of dispensing only food and water, respectively.Such single-use dispensers are also commonly made to be visiblydifferent in appearance, which further slows initial acceptance and useof both dispenser by birds. With the present invention, by contrast, thedispensers are the same in appearance, eliminating any hesitancy on thebirds' part to approaching a “different” feeder.

In use, the dispenser is removed from the hanger for filling. If thedesired basin is already in position for nutrient dispensing, the waterbasin 38, for example, the top 50 of the bottle can remain secured tothe seed basin 40 that is serving as the decorative top cover. Thebottle is turned upside down so that the open bottom end 52 faces upwardand the water basin 38 is unscrewed from the bottom end 52 of the bottle36. The bottle is then filled with water, after which the water basin 38is reattached to the open bottom end 52. The assembled dispenser 34 isthen inverted and secured to the hanger 32 using the hook. The smallersize of the water openings is advantageous during this process as thewater is constrained by the smaller holes so that less spilling willoccur during the inversion process. The vacuum formed in the upper endof the bottle, as the water begins to flow, retards the water flow intoregion 56 of basin 38.

If the user wishes to change the dispenser from a water dispenser, as inthe above example, to a seed dispenser, the feeder must be disassembledinto the parts shown in the exploded view of FIG. 4. While this can bedone in various orders, a preferred sequence is to first remove the hook44 and the finial 48 and then switch and resecure them in reversedpositions. The basins 38, 40 with their associated caps still connectedthereto are then removed as assembled units. The water basin and theseed basin are then switched so that the seed basin 40 is adjacent thebottom end 52 of the bottle and the water basin 38 is adjacent theclosed end. The closed end 50 of the bottle is screwed into the threadedcollar 60 of the water basin which then serves as the decorative topcover. The bottle with the decorative top cover in place is then turnedupside down and filled with seed, after which the assembled top coverunit, including the seed basin 40, is screwed onto the open bottom end52 of the bottle. The dispenser is then inverted and secured to thehanger using the hook 44.

While the bottle is shown as being attached to each of the basins by thethreaded collars, other attachment structures that allow for easydetachment and reattachment by the user, preferably without tools, couldalso be used effectively, as would be understood by persons of ordinaryskill in the art.

According to the second embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 11-21 andgenerally designated by reference numeral 100, a decorative hanger 32and two dispensers 102 are provided. Each of the dispensers 102 includesa reservoir or bottle 104, a basin 106, a rotating ring 108, a top capassembly 110, and a bottom cap assembly 112. As shown, the dispensers102 according to the second embodiment may be used with the same hanger32 as already described in connection with the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 13, both the top end 116 and the bottom end 118 of thebottle 104 are externally threaded as at 119, with the top end 116 beingclosed and the bottom end 118 being open. The bottle 104 may be ofvirtually any shape and formed of any suitable material which allowsfeed or water to move downwardly toward the bottom end 118, andoptionally may include ornamental features (not shown).

The basin 106 is capable of holding either seed or water in abowl-shaped dispensing region 120. A threaded attachment collargenerally designated by reference numeral 122 is located centrallywithin a substantially flat base 124 (see FIGS. 15-17) on the inside ofthe dispensing region 120. The outer surface 126 of the dispensingregion 120 includes a bolt mounting structure 128 for attachment of abolt 130 that protrudes outwardly from the bolt mounting structure 128.While not shown, the outer edging of the basin may be provided withopenings to form a perch-type rim as included in the first embodiment.

The threaded basin attachment collar 122 includes generally cylindricalbase 132 having threads 134 on an inner surface thereof which mate withthe threads 119. The cylindrical base 132 is otherwise open or hollow inits center 136. The bottom of the base adjacent the dispensing region120 has one or more openings generally designated by the referencenumeral 138 (see FIG. 14) therethrough that communicate between thehollow center 136 and the dispensing region 120. While the openings 138have a set size relative to the collar 122, the effective size of theopenings 138 in use can be varied to suit the intended content of thedispenser as will be explained hereinafter.

The rotating ring 108 is an annular member having a wall with an innerdiameter close to but slightly larger than the outer diameter of thecylindrical base 132 of the attachment collar 122 so as to fit thereoverin a snug, friction-fit relationship. When so fitted for use, the bottomedge 140 of the ring (see FIGS. 15-17) is in abutment with the flat base124 on the inside of the dispensing region 120. The ring 108 ispreferably constructed to have seams 142 and/or an undulating surface tofacilitate the user's grasp and corresponding ability to easily grip androtate the ring.

The bottom edge 140 of the ring 108 has one or more openings or cutouts144 that interrupt the bottom edge of the ring and provide for auser-selectable degree of communication between the hollow center of thecollar 122 and the dispensing region 120 depending upon the rotationalposition of the ring 108. In the closed position shown in FIG. 15, theopening 138 in the collar 122 is completely out of alignment, with thecutout 144 in the ring so that the contents of the bottle are whollycontained within the bottle 104, i.e., no outflow can occur. As the ring108 is rotated counter-clockwise from this position, flow is permittedat an increasing rate corresponding to the degree of alignment betweenthe opening 138 in the collar 122 and the cutout 144 in the ring 108.FIG. 16 illustrates a partial alignment, while FIG. 17 shows the openingand the cutout in full alignment allowing maximum flow.

As shown in each of FIGS. 15-17, the rotating ring 108 preferably has atleast one set mark 150 and the flat base 124 on the inside of thedispensing region 120 preferably is marked with at least one set ofsymbols to assist the user in achieving the desired flow setting. Eachsymbol set includes a fully closed symbol 152, a water flow settingsymbol 154 and a food flow setting symbol 156. As the user rotates therotating ring 108 to align the set mark 150 with one of the symbols 152,154, 156, the degree of alignment between the collar opening 138 and therotating ring cutout 144 that corresponds with the selected flow rate isachieved. A curved, elongated triangular symbol 158 is provided betweenthe water and food flow setting symbols 154, 156 to graphicallyillustrate that as rotation of the ring 108 moves the set mark 150 alongthe continuum between these two symbols, the flow rate is graduallyincreased. While the water and food flow setting symbols 154, 156identify suggested alignment positions for the nutrients represented,the user may, of course, select any position along the continuumrepresented by the symbol 158 between these two symbols as the in-useposition.

As shown in FIGS. 14, 13 and 19, the collar according to the secondembodiment is preferably provided with protrusions or bumps 141 on thetop edge 143 of the openings 138. These bumps come into frictionalcontact with a catch 107 formed on the inner surface 109 of the ring 108to provide the user with a tactile indication of having reached apreferred flow setting through rotation of the ring. The catch 107 restsagainst a stop 145 formed on the collar when the ring is in the fullyopen position as shown in FIG. 19.

For increased ease of use, a preferred embodiment such as that shownincludes a plurality of symbol sets, each with a corresponding set markon the rotating ring (see, in particular, FIG. 17), so that the user cansee and select the desired flow rate from various positions around thedispenser.

As shown in FIG. 13, the top cap assembly 110 includes a threaded cap160, an ornamental cap 162, a fastener 164 and a hanging element 166. Inthe illustrated embodiment the fastener is a bolt having a head 163 anda threaded end 165 as is conventionally known. The hanging element 166is a hook with a base having a threaded bore (not shown).

The threaded cap 160 has a generally cylindrical collar 168 with insidethreads (not shown) that match the threaded top end 116 of the bottle,and an upper portion 170 having a centrally located aperture 172 throughwhich the threaded end 165 of the bolt 164 passes. The head of the bolt163 is sized so as not to pass through the aperture 172.

The ornamental cap 162, which also has a collar 178 and an upper portion180 with a central aperture 182, is sized to fit over the threaded cap160 in a nested relationship and has a design that preferably providesan ornamental appearance. The threaded end 165 of the bolt also passesthrough the central aperture 182 in the ornamental cap 162 upper portionso as to project therefrom. The hook element 166 is secured to the bolt164 by screwing the projecting threaded end 165 into the threaded bore(not shown) of the hook element 166 to secure the elements of the topcap assembly together.

Once the threaded cap 160, the ornamental cap 162 and the hook element166 have been secured to one another using the bolt 164, the resultingtop cap assembly 110 is secured to the bottle 104 by screwing the collarof the threaded cap 168 onto the top end 116 of the bottle. The hook 166is then ready to be used to hang the dispenser from one of the arms ofthe hanger.

The bottom cap assembly 112 includes a fluted ring 190 with an opencenter 192, a bottom cover 194 with a central aperture 196 and afastener 198 with a threaded bore 200. The fluted ring 190 is decorativein appearance and is constructed to fit against the outer surface of thebasin 106 and encircle the bolt mounting structure 128 which extendsthrough the open center 192. The bottom cover 194 has a collar 202 witha diameter just larger than the open center 192 so that, when the bottomcap assembly 112 is assembled, the upper edge of the collar 204 is inabutment with the lower surface of the fluted ring 190 and covers theopen center 192. The bolt 130, held by and projecting from the boltmounting; structure 128, passes through the central aperture 196 in thebottom cover 194. The fastener 198 is secured to the bolt 130 byscrewing the projecting end of the bolt into the fastener's threadedbore 200. In this way, the bottom cover 194 and the fluted ring 190 arelocked against the basin 106 and provide a visually pleasing appearanceto the base of the dispenser. Side and cross-sectional views of thedispenser as assembled are provided in FIGS. 20 and 21.

As shown in FIG. 11, the hanger 32 is preferably able to support atleast two dispensers 102 in a side-by-side relationship with thedispensers at the same or different heights depending upon hangerdesign. The hanger is preferably ornamental in appearance to increasethe attractiveness of the bird feeding device.

The side-by-side relationship of the two dispensers allows both food andwater to be offered in close proximity to one another which, as alreadydiscussed in connection with the first embodiment, is advantageous inovercoming the natural reticence of birds to try new feeders. Byproviding both dispensers in close proximity, typically 12 inches apartor less, the birds will much more quickly use both dispensers. The easewith which each dispenser can be changed from a feed dispenser to awater dispenser, and vice versa, also facilitates rapid avian learningas to the availability of both food and water, as also discussed inconnection with the first embodiment.

In use, the dispenser 102 is removed from the hanger 32 for filling. Therotating ring 108 is rotated to the fully closed position as shown inFIG. 15 to prevent spillage and the bottle is turned upside down. Thebasin 106 is unscrewed from the bottom 118 of the bottle 104 and thebottle is then filled with water or food, after which the basin 106 isreattached to the open bottom end 118. The assembled dispenser 102 isthen inverted and secured to the hanger 32 using the hook 166. A flowrate is then selected and established by rotating the ring 108counter-clockwise to align the set mark 150 with either the liquidsetting symbol 154 or the food setting symbol 156, depending upon thecontents of the bottle.

If the user wishes to change the dispenser from a water dispenser to aseed dispenser, or vice versa, all that is necessary is to the fill thebottle with the appropriate nutrient followed by inversion while theopenings are fully closed. Any flow rate from water to food, andanything in between, can then be selected by simply rotating the ring.

As in the first embodiment, attachment structures other than threadedends may be used to attach the bottle to the basin and/or to the topcover assembly, provided such structures allow for easy detachment andreattachment by the user, preferably without tools.

With the foregoing embodiments, a bird feeder design is provided thatallows the user to selectively dispense food and/or liquid nutrients ina combined apparatus that is attractive in appearance and compact insize. The feeder is easy to use and maintain, being made of durablematerials that are lightweight and weather resistant such as moldedplastic, PVC, PP, glass, steel, etc. Combinations of these and othermaterials may also be used as would be understood by persons of ordinaryskill in the art. The feeder also provides a safe source of food andwater that will effectively draw birds for the user's viewing andenjoyment.

The foregoing descriptions and drawings should be considered asillustrative only of the principles of the invention. The invention maybe configured in a variety of shapes and sizes and is not limited by thedimensions of the preferred embodiment. Numerous applications of thepresent invention will readily occur to those skilled in the art.Therefore, it is not desired to limit the invention to the specificexamples disclosed or the exact construction and operation shown anddescribed. Rather, all suitable modifications and equivalents may beresorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A solid and liquid nutrient dispensing apparatusfor animals comprising: a container adaptable to dispense first liquidnutrients and then solid nutrients, or vice versa, and being fullychangeable therebetween thereafter, said container having an open end; aliquid nutrient basin having a liquid nutrient dispensing region and abase within said liquid nutrient dispensing region, said base configuredto removably secure the liquid nutrient basin to said open end of saidcontainer to configure the container for dispensing liquid nutrients,said base having a sidewall with at least one liquid nutrient openingtherein through which liquid nutrients in the container may flow intothe liquid nutrient dispensing region when the liquid nutrient basin issecured to the open end of the container and the container is being usedto dispense liquid nutrients; and a solid nutrient basin having a solidnutrient dispensing region and a base within said solid nutrientdispensing region, said base configured to removably secure the solidnutrient basin to said open end of said container to configure thecontainer for dispensing solid nutrients, said base having a sidewallwith at least one solid nutrient opening therein through which solidnutrients in the container may pass into the solid nutrient dispensingregion when the solid nutrient basin is secured to the open end of thecontainer and the container is being used to dispense solid nutrients,wherein said side wall in said solid nutrient basin base includes agenerally cylindrical attachment collar extending upwardly from acentral area of said solid nutrient dispensing region for securing saidsolid nutrient basin to said container, said solid nutrient basin basecollar including a plurality of solid nutrient openings spaced aroundsaid collar, and wherein said side wall in said liquid nutrient basinbase also includes a generally cylindrical attachment collar extendingupwardly from a central area of said liquid nutrient dispensing regionfor securing said liquid nutrient basin to said container, said liquidnutrient basin collar including a plurality of liquid nutrient openingsspaced from one another, said liquid nutrient openings being smallerthan said solid nutrient openings.
 2. The dispensing apparatus as setforth in claim 1, further comprising a second dispenser, wherein each ofsaid dispensers is configured to dispense solid nutrients by attachingsaid solid nutrient basin to the open end of said container, and each ofsaid dispensers being configured to dispense liquid nutrients byattaching said liquid nutrient basin to the open end of said container.3. The dispensing apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein each ofsaid collars has internal threads and said container open end hasexternal threads, said container being secured within a respective oneof said collars by rotating engagement of said external and saidinternal threads.
 4. The dispensing apparatus as set forth in claim 3,wherein an upper end of said container has external threads, the liquidnutrient basin being attached to said upper end to provide an ornamentaltop when said solid nutrient basin is attached to said open end of saidcontainer and the container is configured for dispensing solidnutrients, and the solid nutrient basin being attached to said upper endto provide an ornamental top when said liquid nutrient basin is attachedto said open end of the container and the container is configured fordispensing liquid nutrients.
 5. The dispensing apparatus as set forth inclaim 1, wherein an upper end of said container does not have anopening, both the upper end and the open end having threaded portionsthat interchangeably enrage with corresponding threaded portions of saidbasin collars.
 6. The dispensing apparatus as set forth in claim 5,further comprising a hanger that is interchangeably connectable toeither the liquid nutrient basin or the solid nutrient basin whenattached to the upper end, of the container to suspend the feeder. 7.The dispensing apparatus as set forth in claim 6, wherein each of theliquid nutrient basin and the solid nutrient basin have a bolt extendingoutwardly from an outer surface thereof, the dispenser furthercomprising a top cap and a bottom cap, each cap having a holetherethrough to receive the bolt when the caps are placed against theouter surfaces of the basins, respectively.
 8. The dispensing apparatusas set forth in claim 7, wherein the top cap is secured againstwhichever basin is on top of the dispenser with a hook that screws ontothe bolt, the hook being configured to suspend the dispenser.
 9. Thedispensing apparatus as set forth in claim 8, wherein the bottom cap issecured against whichever basin is on the bottom of the dispenser with adecorative nut or filial.
 10. A solid and liquid nutrient dispensingapparatus for animals comprising: a container adaptable to dispensefirst liquid nutrients and then solid nutrients, or vice versa, andbeing fully changeable therebetween thereafter, said container having adispensing end and a non-dispensing end; a liquid nutrient basin havinga liquid nutrient dispensing region and a liquid basin base within saidliquid nutrient dispensing region, said liquid basin base configured toremovably secure the liquid nutrient basin to said dispensing end ofsaid container to configure the container for dispensing liquidnutrients, said liquid basin base having a sidewall with at least oneliquid nutrient opening therein through which liquid nutrients in thecontainer may flow into the liquid nutrient dispensing region when theliquid nutrient basin is secured to the dispensing end of the containerand the container is being used to dispense liquid nutrients; and asolid nutrient basin having a solid nutrient dispensing region and asolid basin base within said solid nutrient dispensing region, saidsolid basin base configured to removably secure the solid nutrient basinto said dispensing end of said container to configure the container fordispensing solid nutrients, said solid basin base having a sidewall withat least one solid nutrient opening therein through which solidnutrients in the container may pass into the solid nutrient dispensingregion when the solid nutrient basin is secured to the dispensing end ofthe container and the container is being used to dispense solidnutrients, wherein said liquid basin base is configured to removablysecure the liquid nutrient basin to either said non-dispensing end orsaid dispensing end of said container, and said solid basin base isconfigured to removably secure the solid nutrient basin to either saidnon-dispensing end or said dispensing end of said container, said solidnutrient basin being secured to the non-dispensing end of the containerand the liquid nutrient basin being secured to the dispensing end of thecontainer to configure the container for dispensing liquid nutrients,and said liquid nutrient basin being secured to the non-dispensing endof the container and the solid nutrient basin being secured to thedispensing end of the container to configure the container fordispensing solid nutrients.
 11. The dispensing apparatus as set forth inclaim 10, wherein said side wall in said solid nutrient basin baseincludes a generally cylindrical attachment collar extending upwardlyfrom a central area of said solid nutrient dispensing region forsecuring said solid nutrient basin to said container, said collarincluding a plurality of solid nutrient openings spaced around saidcollar.
 12. The dispensing apparatus as set forth in claim 11, whereinsaid side wall in said liquid nutrient basin base includes a generallycylindrical attachment collar extending upwardly from a central area ofsaid liquid nutrient dispensing region for securing said liquid nutrientbasin to said container, said liquid nutrient basin collar including aplurality of liquid nutrient openings spaced from one another, saidliquid nutrient openings being smaller than said solid nutrientopenings.
 13. The dispensing apparatus as set forth in claim 10, furthercomprising a second dispenser, wherein each of said dispensers isconfigured to dispense solid nutrients by attaching said solid nutrientbasin to the dispensing end of said container with said liquid nutrientbasin being attached to said non-dispensing end to provide an ornamentaltop, and each of said dispensers being configured to dispense liquidnutrients by attaching said liquid nutrient basin to the dispensing andof said container with said solid nutrient basin being attached to saidnon-dispensing end to provide an ornamental top.
 14. The dispensingapparatus as set forth in claim 11, wherein said collar has internalthreads and said container dispensing end has external threads, saidcontainer being secured within said collar by rotating engagement ofsaid external and said internal threads.
 15. The dispensing apparatus asset forth in claim 14, wherein both the dispensing end and thenon-dispensing end of said container have threaded portions thatinterchangeably engage with corresponding threaded. portions of saidbasin collars.
 16. A nutrient dispensing apparatus for animalscomprising: a container adaptable to dispense a first type of nutrientsand then a second type of nutrients different from the first type ofnutrients, or vice versa, and being fully changeable therebetweenthereafter, said container having an open end; a first nutrient basinhaving a first nutrient dispensing region and a base within said firstnutrient dispensing region, said base configured to removably secure thefirst nutrient basin to said open end of said container to configure thecontainer for dispensing the first type of nutrients, said base having asidewall with at least one first type nutrient opening therein throughwhich nutrients of the first type in the container may flow into thefirst nutrient dispensing region. when the first nutrient basin issecured to the open end of the container and the container is being usedto dispense the first type of nutrients; and a second nutrient basinhaving a second nutrient dispensing region and a base within said secondnutrient dispensing region, said base configured to removably secure thesecond nutrient basin to said open end of said container to configurethe container for dispensing the second type of nutrients, said basehaving a sidewall with at least one second type nutrient opening thereinthrough which nutrients of the second type in the container may passinto the second nutrient dispensing region when the second nutrientbasin is secured to the open end of the container and the container isbeing used to dispense the second type of nutrients, wherein saidsidewall in second nutrient basin base includes a generally cylindricalattachment collar extending upwardly from a central area of said secondnutrient dispensing region for securing said second nutrient basin tosaid container, said second nutrient basin base collar including aplurality of second type nutrient openings spaced around said collar,and wherein said sidewall in said first nutrient basin base alsoincludes a generally cylindrical attachment collar extending upwardlyfrom a central area of said first nutrient dispensing region forsecuring said first nutrient basin to said container, said firstnutrient basin collar including a plurality of first type nutrientopenings spaced from one another, said first type nutrient openingsbeing smaller than said second type nutrient openings.
 17. Thedispensing apparatus as set forth in claim 16, wherein said first typeof nutrients includes liquid nutrients and said second type of nutrientsincludes solid nutrients.